How to spot scams like "cPanel Account Creation"

What kind of email is "cPanel Account Creation"?

After inspecting this email, we determined that it is a phishing scam. The message is disguised as a legitimate security notification from cPanel, claiming a new email account has been created under the recipient's domain. Scammers behind it aim to trick recipients into clicking a button that leads to a fake login page designed to steal account credentials. This email should be ignored.

"cPanel Account Creation" email scam in detail

The email presents itself as a notification from cPanel's Email Management System, stating that a new email account has been created under the recipient's domain. It includes account details such as a creation timestamp and offers two options - one to dismiss the alert and another labeled Report unauthorized for those who did not authorize the action.

Clicking either option leads to a phishing website. Although the site linked in this email is no longer accessible, it was designed to harvest login credentials from anyone who interacted with it. In some variants of this scam type, the page identifies the recipient's email provider based on their email address and mimics that provider's login interface.

For example, a recipient using a Gmail account might be shown a convincing replica of the Gmail sign-in page, while someone using Yahoo Mail would see a fake Yahoo login instead. This technique makes the phishing page appear far more legitimate and reduces the chance that the victim notices anything suspicious.

Any credentials entered on such a page are sent directly to the attackers. With access to an email account, cybercriminals can hijack linked online accounts through password resets, read private correspondence, and use the compromised inbox to spread further phishing emails to the victim's contacts.

cPanel LLC has no connection to this scam. Its branding has been misused without authorization by cybercriminals to make the fraudulent email appear more convincing.

Similar scam emails in general

In conclusion, this email is a phishing scam disguised as a cPanel security notification. Its goal is to steal email account credentials by directing recipients to a fraudulent login page. The safest course of action is to ignore the email and avoid clicking any links or buttons it contains. It is also worth noting that similar campaigns are sometimes used to distribute malware.

More examples of similar scam emails are Coinbase - Disablement Of Inactive Accounts, Security Verification - Confirm You're Not A Robot, and Domain Renewal Reminder.

How do spam campaigns infect computers?

Spam emails are one of the primary methods used by cybercriminals to distribute malware. Such emails typically arrive with malicious file attachments or links to harmful websites. Common attachment types include executables, Microsoft Office documents, PDF files, archives such as ZIP or RAR, and JavaScript files. Opening these files - or enabling features like malicious macro commands - can trigger the malware installation process.

Links in spam emails often direct recipients to sites that automatically download malware onto the visitor's device, or instruct them to download and run a harmful program manually. In most cases, some level of user interaction is required before the infection takes hold - such as opening a downloaded file or clicking through a fake alert.

How to avoid installation of malware?

Be cautious with emails from unknown or unexpected senders. Attachments and links in such messages should never be opened, even if the email appears to come from a familiar organization. Scammers frequently impersonate trusted services to lend credibility to their messages. When in doubt, visit the organization's official website directly rather than following links in the email.

Download software and updates only from official websites and app stores. Avoid third-party download sites, peer-to-peer sharing networks, and pirated software. Cracked programs and key generators are a common vehicle for malware distribution. Keeping the operating system and all installed applications up to date helps close vulnerabilities that attackers exploit.

Use a reputable antivirus program and keep it updated. Do not allow suspicious websites to send browser notifications, as these can display deceptive alerts. If you have already opened malicious attachments, we recommend running a scan with Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows to automatically eliminate infiltrated malware.

Text presented in the "cPanel Account Creation" email letter:

Subject: New Email Account Created: Please Confirm To Continue.

ACCOUNT CREATION cPanel®

New Email Account Created

A new email account has been created on the cPanel Email Management System under your domain.

If you authorized this creation for ********, no action is needed. Otherwise, please select one of the options below:

[Ignore (was me)] [Report unauthorized]

ACCOUNT DETAILS: New email: ******** · Created: 5/31/2026 4:41:06 p.m. · Created by: ********

COMPLIANCE: Email account creation is logged for security and auditing purposes per industry standards.

© ******** Account Management | All Rights Reserved

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Quick menu:

• What is cPanel Account Creation phishing scam?
• Types of malicious emails.
• How to spot a malicious email?
• What to do if you fell for an email scam?

Types of malicious emails:

Phishing Emails

Most commonly, cybercriminals use deceptive emails to trick Internet users into giving away their sensitive private information, for example, login information for various online services, email accounts, or online banking information.

Such attacks are called phishing. In a phishing attack, cybercriminals usually send an email message with some popular service logo (for example, Microsoft, DHL, Amazon, Netflix), create urgency (wrong shipping address, expired password, etc.), and place a link which they hope their potential victims will click on.

After clicking the link presented in such email message, victims are redirected to a fake website that looks identical or extremely similar to the original one. Victims are then asked to enter their password, credit card details, or some other information that gets stolen by cybercriminals.

Emails with Malicious Attachments

Another popular attack vector is email spam with malicious attachments that infect users' computers with malware. Malicious attachments usually carry trojans that are capable of stealing passwords, banking information, and other sensitive information.

In such attacks, cybercriminals' main goal is to trick their potential victims into opening an infected email attachment. To achieve this goal, email messages usually talk about recently received invoices, faxes, or voice messages.

If a potential victim falls for the lure and opens the attachment, their computers get infected, and cybercriminals can collect a lot of sensitive information.

While it's a more complicated method to steal personal information (spam filters and antivirus programs usually detect such attempts), if successful, cybercriminals can get a much wider array of data and can collect information for a long period of time.

Sextortion Emails

This is a type of phishing. In this case, users receive an email claiming that a cybercriminal could access the webcam of the potential victim and has a video recording of one's masturbation.

To get rid of the video, victims are asked to pay a ransom (usually using Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency). Nevertheless, all of these claims are false - users who receive such emails should ignore and delete them.

How to spot a malicious email?

While cyber criminals try to make their lure emails look trustworthy, here are some things that you should look for when trying to spot a phishing email:

• Check the sender's ("from") email address: Hover your mouse over the "from" address and check if it's legitimate. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft, be sure to check if the email address is @microsoft.com and not something suspicious like @m1crosoft.com, @microsfot.com, @account-security-noreply.com, etc.
• Check for generic greetings: If the greeting in the email is "Dear user", "Dear @youremail.com", "Dear valued customer", this should raise suspiciousness. Most commonly, companies call you by your name. Lack of this information could signal a phishing attempt.
• Check the links in the email: Hover your mouse over the link presented in the email, if the link that appears seems suspicious, don't click it. For example, if you received an email from Microsoft and the link in the email shows that it will go to firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0... you shouldn't trust it. It's best not to click any links in the emails but to visit the company website that sent you the email in the first place.
• Don't blindly trust email attachments: Most commonly, legitimate companies will ask you to log in to their website and to view any documents there; if you received an email with an attachment, it's a good idea to scan it with an antivirus application. Infected email attachments are a common attack vector used by cybercriminals.

To minimise the risk of opening phishing and malicious emails we recommend using Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows. 

Example of a spam email:

What to do if you fell for an email scam?

• If you clicked on a link in a phishing email and entered your password - be sure to change your password as soon as possible. Usually, cybercriminals collect stolen credentials and then sell them to other groups that use them for malicious purposes. If you change your password in a timely manner, there's a chance that criminals won't have enough time to do any damage.
• If you entered your credit card information - contact your bank as soon as possible and explain the situation. There's a good chance that you will need to cancel your compromised credit card and get a new one.
• If you see any signs of identity theft - you should immediately contact the Federal Trade Commission. This institution will collect information about your situation and create a personal recovery plan.
• If you opened a malicious attachment - your computer is probably infected, you should scan it with a reputable antivirus application. For this purpose, we recommend using  Combo Cleaner Antivirus for Windows.
• Help other Internet users - report phishing emails to Anti-Phishing Working Group, FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, National Fraud Information Center and U.S. Department of Justice.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why did I receive this email?

Scam emails of this kind are mass-distributed, not personally targeted. Cybercriminals typically build mailing lists from addresses gathered through data breaches, fake sign-up pages, and similar sources. Receiving this email does not indicate that your account was actually affected.

I have provided my personal information when tricked by this email, what should I do?

Change the passwords of any accounts that may have been accessed using the compromised credentials as soon as possible. If banking details or identification documents were shared, contact the relevant financial institutions or authorities without delay.

I have downloaded and opened a malicious file attached to an email, is my computer infected?

That depends on the file type. Executable files such as .exe or .run can compromise a system almost immediately upon being opened. Document formats like Word or PDF files typically require additional steps - such as enabling macros - before any infection can begin.

I have read the email but did not open the attachment, is my computer infected?

No. Reading or viewing the email without clicking any links or opening any attached files is safe. A computer is not at risk unless the user interacted with malicious content inside the message.

Will Combo Cleaner remove malware infections that were present in email attachment?

Yes. Combo Cleaner is capable of detecting and removing a wide range of malware threats. That said, running a full system scan is important, as some advanced threats may not be caught by a quick or partial scan alone.